When I was little, my father liked to collect Ocean liner and Railroad memorabilia. Every vacation, every road trip was a treasure hunt where we would stop at junk stores and flea markets, used bookstores and garage sales… anywhere there might possibly be a cup or saucer or butter pat a relative might have smuggled home from a trip long ago.
He knew just what he was looking for and while I would get sidetracked by my own little collections – at one time it was little toy cannons, then old fashioned hats, snoopy comic books, metal signs and old jewelry – Dad knew just where to find what he was looking for. He could walk straight through a store, pick up a stack of china, look at the back and know this was a rare find.
I realized last week, while hunting for a home for a member of the armed forces, stationed at Cannon AFB, that I view real estate the same way dad did his collectables. I know that the house for this girl is out there. I know she will love it when she finds it. She won’t have to settle. We might do a little haggling (Dad always did). We won’t let the seller know how dear this home is to us. That’s part of the game.
It doesn’t have to be my house. Dad didn’t always keep his finds, he sold them to finance his next mission of discovery and I now have the perfect job…. Paid Shopper, for some very big ticket items.
If I could collect houses, I would. I love the old ones and the new ones, the big ones, ugly ones and even the filthy, cat pee ones. I can envision how it will look after the new carpet is in, the Formica is gone and the hardwood is revealed. I got rid of the old hats and cannons but now I have my houses.
Every time I pull up the MLS I check for new listings, I would do it even if I didn’t have any buyers at the moment. The Clovis MLS is my personal flea market and I like to know what’s out there. I’m a treasure hunter and hopefully you are enjoying the hunt as well.
